UN: Palestinians must reaffirm ceasefire commitment

Palestinians look at an unexploded Israeli shell that landed near Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Credit: Reuters

The United Nations has urged Palestinian parties to reaffirm their commitment to a 72-hour Gaza ceasefire that came into force earlier but was soon broken.

UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry said an incident in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, in which two Israeli soldiers and a number of Palestinians were reportedly killed, would, if corroborated, constitute a serious violation of the ceasefire by Gazan militant factions.

Serry "urges the Palestinian parties to last night's understanding to urgently reaffirm their commitment to the humanitarian ceasefire" a statement said.